Apparatus for reclaiming waste cotton.



1 Enl;

J; W. SHAUGHNESSY.

APPARATUS FOR REULAIMING WASTE COTTON. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1911.

1,037,340, Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

avwewtoz J. W. SHAUGHNESSY.

APPARATUS FOR REOLAIMING WASTE COTTON.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.12, 1911.

BHEET 2.

S T E E H S 3 8 1 UQ'VL O'D J. WSA a Ic L n 5,

J. W. SHAUGHNESSY.

APPARATUS FOR REGLAIMING WASTE COTTON.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 12, 1911.

1,037,340. Pa entedfiept. 3,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- (Toni: w. sniuennnss'ir, or OTIARLOTTE; staircases! grammes roe mummies WASTE corroN.

Specification of Letters iatent.

Patented sea. 3, 1912.

Application filed August 12, 1911. Serial No. 643,730.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known'that I, JOHN W. SHAUG'H- NESSY, a citizen of the-United States, residing at Charlotte, in the county of M'ecklenburg and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improveof large quantities of foreign matter in the stock.

.My invention has'for its primary object the provision of a simple .'reliableand highly eflicient apparatus of the above described character whereby such waste stock is thoroughlycleanedso that it'm'ay be utilized in the manufacture of cotton fabrics.

Another object of the invention is to pro- I vide an apparatus for cleaning the waste stock of a cotton mill consisting essentially of a cleaning mechanism and haying arranged in combination therewith a stock opening or straightening mechanism which opens or separates the tufts of cotton.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning mechanism consisting of novel means for'first removing the dead seed and larger particles of foreign matter which are present in the waste stock, and other means which acts upon the stock after such larger particles are removed therefrom, to relieve the cotton of the greater part of the remaining foreign matter.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of a stock carrying drum or rollh'aving teeth of peculiar form whereby the cotton is held-and carried to the picker rollers. i

A still further and very important object of the invention is to provide a series of picker rollers arranged beneath the stock carryin dru'm whereby the stock may be more efiectively cleaned than bythe ordinary apparatus of this character wherein the rollers are arranged above the drum.

With the'above and other objects in'view, the invention consists of-the novel features of construction. combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated. in the-accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illus trating the cleaning mechanism of'my improved apparatus; Fig. 1? is a "similar view of the stock opening or straightening mechanism to which the stock is fed after tit-has been cleaned; Fig. 2 isa detail elevation of the compressor rolls illustratingthe mounting of the suction fan; and Fi 3 is a" detail leVat-lOIl of one 'end of the spiral blade and trough.

As h'ereinb'efore stated, the present invention is devised'with a view to reclaiming the waste stock of a cotton mill which cannot be used owing to the presence therein of large quantities of dead seed and other refuse materiaL. No means has been heretofore provldetl for cheaply and thoroughly removing such foreign 'matter from the waste stock so that the same may be reclaimed andutilized in the manufacture of cotton materials. This deficiency is primanly due to-the fact that inall apparatusof this character with which the applicant is acquainted, the stock opening or picker rolls have invariably been placed above the stock carrying drum, and muchof the for eign matter contained in the cotton which'is loosened by the actionof the opening rolls fails to fall through the drum but remains in the stock. It is one of the principal objects of my invention to eliminate thisdi'fliculty by placing the picker or stock opening rolls beneath the carrying drum and to relieve said rolls of the greater portion 'of the cleaning action. heretofore placed upon them by providing means in advance of the rolls and adjacent to the teeth of the carrying cylinder for first removing such dead seed and other large particles of foreign matter as may be contained in the stock.

WVith the above end in view, I provide a stock receiving and carrying cylinder or .drum 5 which differs from the common drum usually employed in such apparatus in the peculiar form of the cotton receiving or take-up teeth which are provided upon the periphery thereof. These teeth, indicated at 6 are in the form of short burs which are arranged in spaced relation-and are inclined with relation to the periphery of the cylinder. These teeth are preferably,

though not necessarily, formed of wire, said wire being bent in any desired manner into the form of 'aparallelogram and so attached to-the cylinder as to present the points. 7 toth'e feed rolls 8 in such manner that the stock is picked from the teeth 8 of said feed rolls by the teeth of the carrying cylinder 5. The cotton enters the gullets or the s aces between the teeth on the cylinder and is held therein durin the rotation of said cylinder. The stock is fed to the rolls 8 by means of a feed apron 9 which is of the common slat variety. Beneath the lowermost feed roll 8, a spur toothed roll 10 is arranged and this roll acts as a stripper for the lower feed roll, and removes such particles of stock as may remain upon the teeth of the feed roll after the stock has been de-' .livered to the ca-rryingwylinder.

Beneath the feed and stripping rolls a trough 11 is arranged, said trough extending the entire length of the stock carrying cylinder or drum 5. To the edge of said trough adjacent the cylinder, a removable steel plate 12 is secured and is adapted to co-act with a spiral cleaning blade 13 which is secured upon a shaft 14 suitably mounted at its ends and is concentrically located with I. relation to the face of the trough. In the operation of this portion of the apparatus, the stock, as it is carried by the cylinder 5 which rotates in the direction of the arrow, is caught between the edge of the plate 12 and the periphery of the spiral blade 13.

' by the spiral blade and discharged into a suitable waste receiving receptacle.

After the cotton is carried past the spiral blade 13 it is engaged by the spur teeth of a series of stock opening rolls 15 which are adapted to loosen the cotton or separate its strands so that the finer particles of foreign matter may be removed in the manner which will appear from the following description. Any preferred number of these rolls may be employed but I preferably emloy 6 as shown, each of said rolls rotating in the same direction and oppositely to the direction of rotation of the carrying cylinder 5. Suit-able gearing is employed whereby each roll from right to left is rotated at twice the speed of the adjacent roll so that when the cotton reaches theuppermost roll on the right, the teeth of said roll engage the cotton with extreme rapidity and thoroughly separate or loosen the strands thereof. Adjacent to this upper stock opening roll a small toothed stripper roll 16 is mounted which removes such particles of the cotton from the teeth of. the opening roll as may remain thereon. The cottonis now carried by the cylinder 5 into a position to be engaged by the cleaning blades of the final dirt removing cylinder 17, and said blades as they contact with the loosened or opened stock dislodge the finer particles of seed and other extraneous matter contained in the stock and dischar e the same' upon a directing plate 18 whic is arranged between the rolls 16 and 17, and has its u per end disposed closely adjacent to the cy inder 5. The cotton after being thus relieved of the foreign materials is carried by the cylinder to a brush cylinder 19 which is mounted in a suitable casing 20. The brushes of this cylinder remove the cotton from the teeth of the cylinder 5 and discharge the same into a conducting chute 21. This chute is connected to a suitable casing or housing 22 in which the pressure or condensing rolls 23 are arranged. The peripheries of these rolls are slightly spaced and the cotton is adapted to enter between them and be compressed after which it is conducted to the stock opening mechanism to be later described. The casing 24 is supported between the uprights or standards 25 and in these standards the ends of the shafts of the condensing rolls 23 are mounted. Within the casing 24 and beneath the lowermost roll 23 a fan 26 is mounted and driven from any suitable source of power. The rolls 23 are constructed from Wire mesh or other reticulated material and the air is drawn through the same in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3, a plate 27 being arranged between said fan and the periphery of the lower compressor roll. The rolls 23 are open at their ends and the suction created by the fan 26 draws the stock through the chute 21 into the space between said rolls where the stock is compressed.

The stock is delivered from between the 3 pressure rolls 23 upon an endless apron 28 which conveys the same to the feed rolls 29 of similar form to the rolls 8 previously described. These feed rolls are arranged adjacent to the cylinder 30 which is provided 3 upon its periphery with the saw teeth 31. These saw teeth receive the stock from the feeding rolls 29 and carry the same to a plurality of opening or loosening rolls 32 which are also provided with saw teeth upon their peripheries. A stripping roll 33 is also arranged adjacent to the lower feed roll 29 and relieves said feed roll of the excess stock which remains thereon. Another stripping roll 34 is located above and adjacent to the uppermost roll of the series of opening rolls 32. A brush cylinder 35 is mounted above the series of rolls 32 and adjacent to the cylinder 30 and removes the stock from said cylinder after it has passed over the opening rolls. This brush delivers the stock to the. condensing rolls 36 through a conducting chute or passage 37. After the stock has been again condensed or compressed it is delivered upon a platform 38 from whence it passes between the straightening rolls 39. These straightening rolls are longitudinally fluted or corrugated and as the stock enters between them, it is separated or straightened out into longitudinal strands which lie in the corrugations of the lower roll. These rolls rotate in opposite directions and discharge the straightened stock into the fan case 40 where it is cut by the blades of a fan 41 and conveyed to the discharge spout 42 which is connected to the fan case and discharges the straightened stock into a suitable receiving receptacle. In the lower Wall of the fan case a sieve or grid 43 is arranged and this grid is made up of a plurality of plates which are pivotally mounted at their ends in the end walls of the case 40. In the operation of the apparatus these grid plates are inclined as shownin the drawing and the adjusting screws 44 are provided whereby the direction of inclination of said grid plates may be reversed. By adjusting the screws 44 against the end plate of the grid,

said plate may be moved and engaged with the next adjacent plate, and as said plates are loosely mounted in the fan case, the engagement of one plate with the next adjacent plate will cause said plates to turn until they are disposed at the desired angle. Through this grid 43 any other particles of dirt which may be separated from the cotton by its passage through the straightening rolls and its engagement by the fan "blades will be'dischare'ed from the fan case.

From the foregoing it is thought that the operation of my improved apparatus w1ll be readily understood. Cotton which has heretofore been -unfit for use in a cotton mill, may be quickly and thoroughly cleaned and all seeds, dirt or other foreign matter simple in construction, positive and reliable in its operation and may be manufactured and installed at comparatively small cost.

While I have shown and desci'ibed the preferred construction and arrangement of the various parts, it will be understood that the invention is susceptible of considerable modification without departing from the essential feature or sacrificingany of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is 1. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising in combination, a toothed cylinder, means for feeding the stock to the teeth of said cylinder, and means acting upon the stock to out out large particles of foreign matter therefrom and convey the same to a suitable discharge point, said latter means including a trough having one of its edges disposed-in close proximity to the teeth of the cylinder, and a movable member co-actcomprising in combination,- a. toothed cylin der, means for feeding the stock to the teeth of said cylinder, a trough having one edge disposed closely adjacent to the cylinder teeth, and a spiral blade mounted in said trough and co-acting with the edge thereof to remove particles of foreign matter from the stock in the rotation of said cylinder.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination, a toothed cylinder, means for feeding the stock to the cylinder, a trough havin a removable edge plate disposed closely a jacent to the teeth of the cylinder and extending the entire length of said cylinder, and a spiral blade rotatably mounted in said trough and coacting with said edge plate to remove particles of foreign matter from the stock in the rotation of said cylinder.

5. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising in combination, a toothed rotary cylinder, means for feeding the stock to the teeth of said cylinder, means arranged adjacent to the cylinder including a rotatable blade, a trough having a cutting edge with which said blade co-acts upon the stock in the rotation ofthe cylinder to remove particles of foreign matter therefrom, a series of stock opening rolls arranged beneath said toothed cylinder and in concentric relation thereto, and a cleaning cylinder arranged adjacent said toothed cylinder and adapted to act upon the stock after its passage over said opening rolls to remove other particles of foreign matter therefrom.

6. apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising in combination, a rotary toothed cylinder, means for-feeding the stock to the teeth of said cylinder, a series of stock opening rolls arranged beneath said cylinder and in concentric relation thereto, said rolls rotating in a direction opposite to the rotation of said cylinder and adapted to open the stock to permit the finer particles of foreign matter to fall therefrom, and means arranged between said stock opening rolls and the feeding means to remove the larger particles of foreign matter from the stock before the same is acted upon by said opening rolls. a

7. An apparatus of the character described comprising combination, a'toothed rotary cylinder, means for feeding the stock to the teeth of the cylinder, means arranged adj acentto the cylinder to act upon the stock durin the cylinders rotation and remove partic es of foreign' matter therefrom, means arranged beneath the cylinder and acting upon the stock to open the same, a cleaning cylinder to engage the opened stock and remove other particles of foreign matter therefrom, a pair of pressure rolls, means for removing the clean stock from the toothed cylinder and delivering the same to said pressure rolls, a second toothed cylinder and means for feeding the compressed stock thereto, a second series of stock opening rolls arranged beneath the latter cylinder and acting on the stock to again .open the "same, a second set of pressure rolls, means for delivering the stock from the second cylinder tosaid rolls, and a pair of corrugated straightening rolls arranged adjacent-to the latter pressure rolls to receive the stock therefrom and straighten the same.

8. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination means for removing the greater portion of the foreign material from the stock, a stock receiving toothed cylinder and means for feeding the cleaned stock thereto, a series of stock opening rolls arranged beneath said cylinder and in concentric relation to the same to engage and open the stock in the rotation of the cylinder, a set of pressure rolls, means for feeding the opened stock to said rolls whereby the same is compressed, a pair of straightening rolls to which the stock, is delivered from the pressure rolls, a discharge fan to receive the straightened stock, said fan in- JOHN W. SHAUGHNESSY.

Witnesses:

M. C. LYDDANE, GEO. S. LIVINGSTON. 

